The present invention relates to methods for operating a real-time computer system controlled by a real-time operating system, which computer system processes interrupt signals, e.g., of a technical process.
Methods of this type are used for example in real-time computer systems utilized in telecommunication modules of the public and private networks. A real-time computer system is characterized in that the processing of a program activated, for example, as a reaction to an interrupt signal can be interrupted within a known limited time interval, in order to continue the processing of this program only when higher-priority programs have been processed. During the processing of a program in telecommunication modules, e.g. up to about 50,000 interrupt signals can occur per second, which respectively require an interruption of a program to be processed at that time and a reaction to the interrupt signal.
Known real-time computer systems block the acceptance of further interrupt signals for a predetermined time interval, called the interrupt blocking time, so that interrupt signals coming in during this time interval are not taken into account is processed, and information or instructions can be lost. The interrupt blocking time is required so that the microprocessor can secure its registers, can react at least partly to the interrupt signal, and can again update its registers in order to be able to continue the interrupted program. The longer this interrupt blocking time is, all the more incoming interrupt signals go without being processed. An improved method for the operation of a real-time computer system, in which the interrupt blocking time is reduced, would be advantageous.